Uncontrollable
by WritingBookworm
Summary: I'm Terra. Terra Markov. I've made some choices in the past that I now deeply regret, and because of this I guess you can say I have a long story to tell. So let's go back a bit...
1. Prologue

**A/N: Well, here goes nothing. **

**I actually wrote this prologue about a year ago, than continued it a bunch- now I finally have the nerve to post this. **

**I love Terra from Teen Titans, I really do. I remember the first time I watched Teen Titans- I had been on vacation at the time, lazily browsing through TV channels on my Grandma and Grandpa's TV- when I came across Cartoon Network it immediately showed two girls, one blonde and one purple-haired fighting in the mud. I would later know these girls as Terra and Raven, my top two favorite characters in Teen Titans. **

**I had been amazed later on in the episode at Terra's strength- and her ruthlessness. From the way they all talked, it looked as if they had bonded beforehand and Terra did something nasty to them. Later the next day I came to Cartoon Network at the same time, and sure enough, I watched Part 2 of Aftershock- I had cried so much afterwards. I loved Terra so much that I had to know her backstory. **

**So later on I started watching Teen Titans, but only because I was looking specifically for Terra. I later loved the show for reasons other than Terra, but of course I was on the lookout for her- finally, a few months later, I found the episode where she was introduced at four o'clock in the morning. **

**Soon I knew her backstory, and I loved every little thing about her. Through the years I loved her, so I was overjoyed that they introduced Terra yet again in Things Change- that was quite a sucky ending to an awesome show, don't you agree? Anyways, I saw that as a loophole, where I could make my own story, where she has her happy ending... **

**So that's how I came to write this. **

**Oh! I almost forgot! I must thank a few people- first, to Maxitola2009 on Wizard101Central for helping me come up with such a great title. Second, to Lulu Sushi- she's helped me sooooooo much and she's a very good authoress. I highly recommend reading her story that's also a Terra story called Princess Crowns and Butterfly Clips. **

**And third, to the creators of Teen Titans for giving us such a great character, even if others don't realize how great she is. **

**Disclaimer- I don't own Teen Titans. Otherwise obviously Terra would have lived and become an official Teen Titan.**

**Anyways, I think I've rambled on quite enough now- this is a very long author's note, after all, and this is a very short but hopefully great prologue. So read it, I hope you enjoy!**

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><p><em>Uncontrollable<em>

_Part 1: Princess _

Prologue

_"I trusted you!"_

_"Terra, you can't!"__  
><em>

_"Is this really who you want to be?"__  
><em>

_Those were only a few of the Titans' words as I finished them off, one by one, bit by bit.__  
><em>

_I was satisfied. I had destroyed the Titans, my "friends". They had thought I was weak, a confused girl who had yet to learn her powers. But I showed them. I proved to them that I was strong, stronger then any one of them. Stronger than they would ever be.__  
><em>

_They had all been my friends. Beastboy in particular. But I didn't care about my past relationships with them- the past was past. Over. Done with. I had no regrets, no anguish, no remorse in the slightest as I took them down.__  
><em>

_But then, I didn't realize what I was tearing down as I did this. Sure, I now had complete control of the city, but I didn't know that it was pointless compared to what I had- acceptance, friendship, and love. If I had realized this sooner and defeated Slade long ago, maybe the Titans wouldn't be torn apart. Maybe the city wouldn't be in ruins. Maybe I wouldn't have been the monster I'd become.__  
><em>

_But as they say, no turning back.__  
><em>

_I'm Terra. Terra Markov. I've made some choices in the past that I now deeply regret, and because of this I guess you can say I have a long story to tell. So let's go back a bit..._


	2. PART I PRINCESS Chapter 1: Rising Threat

A/N: Man, I haven't updated this in a fairly long time... hehe...

Well, I just outlined the entire thing today- I mean, I've always known where I've been going with this FanFic, but now I've got a good chapter count. This story's going to be AT LEAST 50 chapters. And that's if I combine a lot of them. But I don't care about how long it'll take, to be honest- I'm on Chapter 10 or 11 right now, and I'm having a LOT of fun writing this!

Anyways. Thank you AzelmaandEponine and ArtemisHarryAnimorphsfan96 for reviewing, and enjoy the first chapter of Terra's story!

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><p><span>Chapter 1: Rising Threat<span>

I mentioned that my name is Terra. Before that I was known as Tara Markov, Princess of Markovia. All that it really was was a different spelling, but different nonetheless.

The story I want to tell begins when I was twelve years old and still residing in Markovia with my brother, Brion. It appeared to be a normal day- well, as normal as you could get for a Prince and Princess.

I awoke to the usual rays of light stinging my eyes a bit, coming through the glass-stained window. I rubbed my eyes and hopped out of bed.

I tiredly and un-princesslikely made my way to a marble vanity, taking waver from a basin and dropping it onto my face. Water trickled down, wetting parts of my hair or dropping onto my nightclothes. Normally I'd take a full bath or something, but I was feeling rather lazy today. I'd settle for this.

I dried my face off with a bright yellow washcloth before choosing a purple dress to wear for the day, mentally wishing I didn't have constant reminders on how to look and such. Quickly I undressed and threw on the dress- the color was a darker shade of purple and there were ruffles underneath. White lace elegantly edged parts of the long sleeves and a sash in a lighter shade of purple crossed over the chest.

After adorning a small circlet that had a small amethyst in the center, I tied my hair up in its usual fashion- masses of blonde being bunched up by purple ribbons, reaching to not quite the top of my head.

I heard a knock at my door just as I stuffed my feet into purple mary-janes. I expected it to be some sort of maid or servant when I opened it- I'm wrong. It was Brion.

"Hello," I said. "What's going on?"

"Father needs us," Brion said. "He says a scientist is here to conduct an experiment of some sort."

"Why does this scientist need us to watch, though?" I asked, inspecting my brother. Brion was two years older than me- which made him fourteen- and the successor to the Markovian Throne. Some might think that I'd be jealous of that, but honestly, I wasn't interested in sitting on a chair and commanding people to do stuff all day.

Brion's chunk of red hair swayed slightly as he shrugged. He was dressed in a suit, golden chains crossing over a long sleeved, black-cuffed, light blue button down shirt. A belt went along nicely with his black pants and sleek black boots. To top it all off, he shared the same blue eyes as me despite our different hair color. However, his usually held a playful and mischievous gleam to it while mine were rather… bland.

"I dunno," he said. "Guessing it's just another wannabe scientist hoping to impress the Markov House by displaying their latest discoveries or whatnot. I think Father also mentioned something about this scientist hoping to use us to help with the experiment."

My face suddenly dropped to a low temperature. We were being used as test subjects? We were royalty, not some stupid animals born to be experimented on! What if something happened to us?

Brion interrupted my thoughts by giving a small laugh. "Tara, it's not as if anything will happen to us," he eased. "Besides, we've been experimented on for stupid projects before every now and then and we're not dead."

I relaxed. He was right- this wouldn't be any different from those other times. I was silly to have worried about this.

But still I hated being treated like some fancy doll, people telling me what to do, how to act, who to be…

Encouraged by my relaxation, Brion continued, "Come on- I'm pretty sure this scientist is here now. May as well get this thing over with."

I decided to follow him as he began to turn and leave. He was right- may as well get this over with.

I now really wish I hadn't made that mistake. Yet at the same time, I strongly praise myself for it.

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><p>"Brion, Tara, meet Dr. Helga Jace."<p>

Brion and I watched as a woman, perhaps in her early fifties, strode across the throne room to meet our father, the King. The woman, or Dr. Helga Jace, had gray hair tied into a bun and wore a white suit. Thin silver glasses overlapped gray eyes that took on a rather bored look.

Dr. Jace and our father shook hands. The King of Markovia was dressed in the same fashion as Brion and had silky dark hair that was whitening in parts. Then Dr. Jace began to walk towards us. "You two must be the children of the Markov House. A pleasure to meet you."

Brion nodded curtly as I didn't move. "Welcome, Dr. Jace."

I was impatient- I wanted to get to the point of why she was here. "Well, what's this even about?"

Father, Brion and Dr. Jace all turned their heads to look at me. Finally the King broke the silence. "I have been funding Dr. Jace's research for quite some time now. And finally her research has ended, for she has made a ground-breaking discovery."

Brion and I exchanged looks. I was deeply curious about this, and so was my brother. If my _father_ had been funding her research, than this was obviously important.

"What did you discover?" Brion asked her, breaking his eye contact with me and turning back to the visitor.

A small smile crept on her face. "Why, I've discovered how to give ordinary people the ability to perform the extraordinary," she said. "In other words, I can now give human beings superpowers. And your father and I have agreed that you two will be the first to receive them."

Wait… _what _did she just say?

I jumped up immediately. "What?" I almost yell. "Why? We're members of the Markov House, not-"

"Tara!" My father scolded. "Control yourself."

"No!" I talked back on impulse. "I demand to know why Brion and I! Because I'm not going to be a test subject without reason!"

Just as Father was about to burst at my comments, Dr. Jace raised a hand, silencing him as if she were his superior.

"Yes, you are members of the Mrakov House," she reasoned calmly. "But you can be even _more_. Plus there is something that needs to be resolved and it seems fitting for it to be resolved by iconic figures in Markovia. I trust you've heard of the situation with General Immortus?"

We nodded. The biggest political problem at hand was that Markovia was under the threat of General Immortus, someone claimed to be immortal and have gained centuries of tactical experience. He was this very strategic person- basically impossible to beat in that area. So General Immortus threatening Markovia was definitely not a good sign.

"General Immortus is a prodigy," she continued after seeing our acknowledgments. "A prodigy with his brain. However, once I give you both superhuman abilities, you'll be prodigies yourselves- maybe not in the brains, that's up to you- but you certainly will be with the brawn. Prodigies can only be matched by prodigies."

"In the same subject," I muttered, half to Dr. Jace and half to myself.

"Anyways," Father begins in his booming voice and looked directly to me and Brion. "The experiment will take place within a few hours." Dread seeped its tendrils into my twelve year old body as he continued. "Brion, Tara, take this time to properly prepare yourselves, then you'll both be escorted to the laboratory." He said the next sentence almost uneasily, "I wish I could allow more time for this to sink in, but you two must begin preparing to meet General Immortus as soon as possible."

Before I can scream at the idea of powers being embedded into me, before I can protest, before I can do anything, the King sent for my maid and Brion's servant. Both were very punctual.

I tried to stay strong for myself as I wondered what exactly the aftermath of the next few hours would be.


	3. Chapter 2: Grafted

**A/N: Well, here's the second chapter! I downloaded Terra's Theme onto my Nook, the one that plays during the obstacle course in "Terra", and it gave me the inspiration to type this up. ^.^**

**AzelmaandEponine: Yeah, it can sometimes take a while between updates...**

**ArtemisHarryAnimorphsfan96: Yeah, she has a brother. Google Brion Markov- I guarantee there'll be results. And this is mostly canon, but some of parts of her past was blank, so I'm filling that in, plus with a few additions here or there that I thought would go nicely with this and some things that I removed from the canon backstory as well- for example, Terra had another older brother named Gregor, but he just wouldn't fit in with the story, so hence, he's not here.**

**Disclaimer- I don't own Teen Titans. If I did, Terra and Beast Boy would be together. **

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><p><span>Chapter 2: Grafted<span>

To be quite honest, I don't remember much of the experiment.

I do recall me having decided to release a temper tantrum the moment Sophia led me into my room. I was almost a maniac- Sophia tried earnestly to calm me down as I threw simple objects like books, shoes, and one time a chair at the wall. Looking back on it, I'll say that I made quite the racket. I don't see why no one came to help Sophia take care of the princess brat.

But she did handle it. Once she registered that soft talk and deep breaths weren't going to help, she used force. She grabbed me by the arm- she was surprisingly strong- and forcefully stripped me down to my underpants. I thought she'd undress me until I was bare, but purple underpants and tank top were good enough.

I resisted furthermore as she dragged me down the royal halls. I didn't want to become a protector of Markovia, I didn't even want to be its princess! I decided who I was and how my life would play out! Not these dim-witted royals and scientists!

Sophia continued to drag me to the lab, my feet stinging at the touch of the metal floor and quickly taking in the huge walls of steel. There was a steel table with a bunch of needles of all different sizes and next to that one of Dr. Jace's assistance was inserting a needle into a shirtless Brion. Luckily Edward shared the same ideas as Sophia in undressing. To my left there were life-sized cylinders, side by side, with green liquid bobbing in both. They were obviously meant for Brion and I. My eyes traced the tubes until I found its source- a desk-like piece of furniture in which lots of dials and other things meant to help control us while we were getting our powers.

I created a scene as they finished with Brion. I screamed and yelled and attempted various kicks and punches almost aimlessly at various people. Most of them just gaped openmouthed at my resistance while a few security guards stepped up and got me under control.

I still tried to break out despite their best efforts. They shoved me into a chair, the same red swivel one I saw Brion in when I had arrived. I clawed ferociously as I almost helplessly watched one of the assistants grabbed a needle.

I screamed and attacked, them more physically than I had before at the sight of the needles. I hated needles… I had to get away from the needles! Just the thought of them seeping into my skin was enough to pour a good amount of anxiety into my bloodstream.

In the end, my efforts were futile. I watched as the needle injected into my skin and I screamed the loudest I had during my fit.

My scream is the last sound I heard before black quickly swallowed my surroundings and my body fell limp…

The next time I woke up, I was resting comfortably in my purple canopied bed. Slowly the room zoomed into focus as I gradually remembered the past events.

My breath shifted into a state of uneasiness as I recalled that needle and then the world being tainted by black. I attempted to conjure some other memory as to what happened between that time and now… but no result.

Without thinking, I led my arm out of the covers and rolled down the purple dress sleeve- apparently Sophia redressed me.

I found after I pulled it down a couple of bandages placed in different spots on my arm, including the place where they gave me the first shot.

I gasped in fearful surprise. How many shots had they given me? At that moment, I wanted to take a look at my left arm, but quickly decided against it in fear of what I could find.

The door opened as I pulled up my sleeve. Brion came in.

"What happened?" I questioned before he could say anything.

Brion merely shrugged. "To be quite honest, I'm not too sure," my brother admitted. "I'm pretty sure they gave you a shot that put you to sleep."

That explained why I couldn't draw any memories.

"For me, the sleeping shot was voluntary," Brion continued. "They asked me if I wanted to take it to not feel any pain and sleep through the experiment. I took it. But.. well… with the racket you made…" he didn't finish the sentence.

I nodded. Of course they'd want to knock me unconscious.

A silence was drafted and after a while I broke it. "So… we've got powers now?"

Suddenly I felt sick to my stomach. My brain fogged up with a mixture of disbelieving nausea and horror.

It was as if I wasn't normal to begin with. What's normal about having power over an entire country, hundred to command when you need them? What's normal about being treated to your every little whim as if you were both mentally and physically dysfunctional? I wished I could be simply be addressed as "Tara" instead of being formally greeted as "Her Highness Princess Tara of the Markov House".

Now apparently being of royal descent wasn't enough. I just _had_ to be embedded with superpowers too! Now there was no way to be normal!

Most people wanted to be royalty, to be served twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. They wanted to be constantly fretted for, living the high life. But they're forgetting about just how much of an impact you have, the way people always tell you how you should and shouldn't act, how you dress and what you shouldn't wear, being reprimanded day and night. About how you're virtually alone.

Many want superpowers. They wanted to show it off to their friends, be the 'cool kid' or whatnot. But they're forgetting about how they're also mocked when you're different. And add that criminals target you and the ones you love. It'd be a huge secret, a burden dragging you down. And the most serious idea-

What if you couldn't control your powers? What if you simply weren't strong enough? What if it wasn't the traditional 'bad guy' hurting those important to you… but yourself?

What if Brion or I couldn't control our powers?

That's why I wanted to be normal. Most my age would shut away the idea, but the word normal tastes like a haven when I say it. It paints a detailed picture of myself being free to do what I want, free to be me…

Why couldn't I share that privilege with the rest of the world?

"Tara?" Brion banished my thoughts and dragged me back to reality with no mercy.

In response, I simply blinked a number of times to help myself readjust to the world.

"Did you hear what I just said?" Brion asked after I offered no reply.

I just shook my head.

"We're Geomancers, Tara!" Brion's excited eyes shone brightly in an eager itching for the future. "Geomancers! Would you believe that?"

I squinted as if looking for something. "Geomancers?" I inquired. "What's that?"

The Prince of Markovia wasn't discouraged by my lack of knowledge. "Geomancers can control rock, dirt, earth!" he breathed. "We're able to manipulate earth!"

I cringed as I imagined both Brion and I fighting by mentally chucking rocks at people. I was sure Brion had the same vision, but our reactions were different.

Brion was no better than the rest of the kids who lusted for the stupid powers. He wanted to brag and show them off just like them. And just to think- he was older, he should be more logical.

But today our roles were reversed. Today Brion was the little kid while I was the serious grown-up- and people would loathe me for it.

I merely sighed. Was I the only one who saw that powers weren't a gift, but a curse? Was I the only one who saw this all as a very bad idea?


	4. Chapter 3: Training

**A/N: So I've decided that out of nearly thirty fanfics, I would set aside many of them so I could work on a select few and get them done.**

**Fortunately for you guys, Uncontrollable is one of the three.**

**Now there should be rather frequent updates, at least twice a month, more if I can get them out. Now, I want to try out something new- replying to reviews!**

**SladeRavenFan: I know, I _hate _how Terra fans bash Raven! And how Raven fans bash Terra! Honestly, Raven's my favorite character, second only to Terra. I've got to be one of the only TT fans that likes both of them... As for Slade, I'll admit that I'm a bit nervous about whether or not I'll get him right, but at the same time I'm really excited to write him. Let's just say he'll come in sooner than you think...**

**AzelmaandEponine: Thank you! BTW, I absolutely love your avi. ^.^**

**ArtemisHarryAnimorphsfan96: Heh, not for Terra. Thought it'd be interesting for her to be right about this all along. **

**Thanks for reviewing, guys! You're the best! **

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><p><span>Chapter 3: Training<span>

Training began the following day. There were two courtyards in the Markov castle, and one of them was quickly redone to be transformed into a training are for us.

The ground had been stripped of nearly all the grass, narrowing down to the dirt. Target dummies, mainly sacks or spare pillows draped over crossing pieces of wood, abounded everywhere. There were also a few wooden makeshift weapons available to use, I guessed for help focusing our powers or something.

I entered the yard after Brion. Brion was dressed in a pair of old work trousers and a shirt. Sophia had tried to dress me in a skirt or dress for the occasion, but luckily she saw sense that trousers would enable me to move more freely.

As we walked in, two servants fluttered about to place a dummy in front of both of us, then scattered once the job was done. Brion and I planted ourselves firmly in front of the dummies, then straightened our backs as we waited for instructions.

Then Father, accompanied by Dr. Jace, walked in briskly. Once they arrived and stopped, Dr. Jace took a few paces in front of Father.

"You have the powers," Dr. Jace began after clearing her throat, "but you don't have the training. You both must realize that if you don't keep a strong leash on your abilities that your powers will not become a gift, but a curse."

I was mentally screaming. _And I_ haven't _realized that?_

"Anyways, slow and steady wins the race," she proceeded. "We will take the training one small step at a time. We will do basic steps that slowly increase in level until we're skilled. Sound good?"

As if we had a matter. We nodded.

Dr. Jace nodded briefly once in acknowledgement. "Good. Let the training begin. First, I want you both to place your feet firmly into the ground. Bring your arms up."

We did.

"Now- I want you two to close your eyes and imagine the dirt in front of you. Reach out to it, and once you've grasped it, bend it into a ball. Do not be surprised if you don't get this on your first try- we're all beginners here."

I closed my eyes, and instead of imagining the dirt, my mind flashed to the power to do this flowing through my veins. My mind used that as a gateway to go to the dirt's power as a mental pain started to throb. The pain of so much concentration rang and pulsed in my head that it severed whatever tie I could have had to the earth.

I gasped as my eyes snapped open, and only then noticed the lines of sweat taking formation on my forehead, how much my throat was begging for water- how utterly exhausted I was.

"Great job, Brion!"

My eyes immediately ran to the redhead, and I gasped. Because a sole rock was hanging in the air, quivering, ready to fall at any moment but hovering nonetheless- in front of Brion.

Brion grinned like an idiot while I just stood there, amazed. Dr. Jace and Brion had kept telling me we were Geomancers, that we had the potential to do this, preparing me for this sight- but seeing it right here, right in front of my eyes was a completely different story all together.

Dr. Jace expressed a wiry and proud smile as she clapped a couple of times. "Great job, Brion! That was excellent- your first try!" Her gray eyes then dared to meet mine. "As for you, Tara- well, I'm sure you'll get it. Practice does make perfect."

Her words ignited a spark of anger inside me. _Great job Brion_ and _Well, I'm sure you'll get it._

She was wanting me to be like Brion! Everybody wanted me to be somebody to suit their purposes, comparing and matching me!

Before I know it, my teeth were clenched so hard, as if one half of my teeth was trying to rbeak into my other half, seething. _I'll show them… I'll show them!_

I closed my eyes again, calling to the earths' power with my own. The pain sprang up to greet me once more, and this time I was aware of my heating forehead, seeding sweat.

But unlike last time, I pushed against it, back against the wall. This was my moment to shine, and nothing was going to get in the way!

The pain persisted. So did I. I refused to be helpless this time, I would overcome it…

Finally I reached to the rock's energy. I quickly snatched it, attempting to tweak the strings of its energy just a little. Then the pain throbbed once more, sending me a clear message that it would not give up. In a desperate act to quickly avoid it before it consumed and undid all of my work, I pulled on the earth's energy threads- a lot harder than I intended.

I gasped, struggling to breathe as my eyes shot open to see what I did.

My knees had crunched, my arms brought up into the air. Then my eyes enlarged-

The ground was swaying underneath me, as if it were a giant rocking boat. Then six boulder-sixed clumps of dirt shot out in the air, spinning for a moment. Then they started to descend downward at a rate that seemed to be faster than the speed of light.

I could only watch for a few horrifying moments as those boulders- _my_ boulders- barricaded into the brick walls of the courtyard. One massacred a group of dummies close together- if the dummies had been real people then it would have been a bloody sight- one horrific enough to go onto a brochure that displayed nightmares.

Two boulders left. One of them plowed straight into a wall just like the first three- this time the impact was so hard that a bunch of bricks crumbled down.

One boulder left- and it seemed to be sailing straight towards me.

My first impulse that screamed at me was to get the heck out of there. So I did. But when I looked back- I realized that this one was especially large- this time running would do no good.

_Think fast, Tara!_ My nerves yelled at myself as I turned around and stopped. _Think FAST!_

As the boulder rushed through the air, immediately I pictured the boulder's energy field deep within, like intestines displayed in an X-Ray. Immediately I reached out to it and quickly cut the strings in half.

I closed my eyes tightly and crouched down, hands covering my head. I gritted my teeth as I braced myself for impact…

When the boulder hit, I was almost thrown back. I could hear a rip- probably my pants or shirt. Pain, unlike the one in my head I earned while concentrating, tore through me. I paid little attention to it.

I opened my eyes, greeted by a tan field of dust. A cough emitted, and I forced myself to stand up and survey the area.

Apparently once the boulder had made contact with the ground, it might as well have had exploded to bits. A little better than hitting me. I blinked several times, slowly waning the dust out. Cotton from the dummies was strewn everywhere in that one area where the second hit had taken place.

As for everyone else, Brion had thrown himself over Dr. Jace and Father. The trio didn't look very hurt despite the scene that had just taken place.

I decided to review myself- as expected, there were now holes in both kneecaps of my training pants. In one of my knees some skin had torn open, leaving a small trail of blood flowing down.

No one said anything. Then finally Dr. Jace cleared her throat. "Well. Well. That was rather impressive, Tara. Very impressive, actually, for your second try."

I smiled lightly, nodding. I had lived up to Brion- maybe I had even done _more_. Scratch that, I'm positive I did more.

Dr. Jace continues. "But, while this is great, as you can see, this little incident almost killed us all. This is what happens to someone who doesn't have much control over their powers. Remember Tara- control is key. Otherwise you'll be hurting yourself and those around you."

I just nod. I guess Dr. Jace saw some sense after all.

Despite the damage I had caused, repair was rather quick. Brion and I continued training a few days later.

Brion and I progressed over the next few months. Brion's abilities progressed steadily, a bit faster than Dr. Jace and her team had anticipated. My older brother was soon able to fight and defend himself with his powers, could fly on chunks of earth- he could do almost anything.

As for me- my powers did progress, but not as steadily as Brion's. I continued to have lack of control- fortunately there was no incident as drastic as the first day, but one time a rock went haywire and gave Dr. Jace a black eye. I was actually kind of proud of that.

Then came that fateful day, when one of the messengers arrived, out of breath. "Prince Brion! Princess Tara! My King!"

Our attention was firmly grasped, grasped enough to cause both Brion and I to put our rocks down. "What is it?" Father questioned, standing up.

"Your Highness, it's General Immortus! He's arrived!"


	5. Chapter 4: GeoForce

**A/N: ...You know, for once, I don't have much to say for this Author's Note. **

**SladeRavenFan: Thank you! And kind of. I'm pulling things from both the comics and Teen Titans Go 51 and putting them together in this story. Like, Dr. Jace was in the original comics, but not in TTG, while Immortus made a cameo in TTG while Dr. Jace didn't make an appearance. **

**AzelmaandEponine: Haha, definitely. And thanks!**

**ArtemisHarryAnimorphsfan96: Thanks!**

**Jade: Thanks!**

**Yeaaaaah, sucky replies, but I'm just, like . . . brain dead today, man. Can't think of anything. So in that case, I'll just shut up and let you read. :P**

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><p><span>Chapter 4: Geo-Force<span>

Fear was driven into my heart like a stake the moment I heard those words fly out of the messenger's mouth.

Father was the one who best expressed my shock. "General Immortus? Here?" His face scrunched up. "Wh-what makes you say that?"

The messenger tried desperately to remain calm. "I-Immortus arrived a few nights ago in Galebrook. His battalion overpowered the city's militia quite easily. Now Galebrook is under siege! They've sent a message that they're considering surrendering at any moment!"

Brion and I both turned cold. So this was it. General Immortus may as well have declared war on Markovia. If something wasn't done to dispatch of the Forever Soldier straightaway, then there was a good chance that Markovia would be laid to waste.

Worse, General Immortus was the reason why Brion and I acquired our powers in the first place- so we could become 'The Defenders of Markovia' or whatnot. This battle was left to us. We had known that for a time, but now that the moment had actually come . . .

Facing Immortus was much easier said than done. Because how were two trainee Geomancers supposed to battle and triumph over a strategist who'd been fighting in every major world conflict since the time of the Pharaohs?

That's what I wanted to know.

And we were expected to do just that.

Dr. Jace wore a thin smile. "Perhaps it's time for Brion and Tara's first test," she practically purred.

I simply stared at her. "You honestly think we'll win over _General Immortus_ and his large, high-tech army?!" I shrieked.

Dr. Jace simply looked at me, then nodded. "That's right."

Now I had no regrets giving her that black eye.

We left for Galebrook to meet Immortus shortly. Before we did that, we got fitted for superhero uniforms.

Our outfits were identical. They were both jumpsuits that covered every inch of our body, beginning at the bottom of our necks to our toes. They were bright yellow, and at the chest was an emblem that had a large GF centered.

"What does the GF stand for?" I asked Sophia as she dressed me in this.

"Geo-Force," Sophia said simply, repeating what Dr. Jace and her other scientists had told her. "That's you and Prince Brion's dual name- the earth's force. The earth's army. Hence, Geo-Force."

Okay, I'll give Dr. Jace credit for the cool name.

After I had been adorned in my costume, I was given my mask- orange, to match the color of the chest emblem. Not a full face mask- just enough to cover part of the area surrounding my eyes.

Then Brion and I headed out to Galebrook.

We left in a limousine of the Markovs since it was one of the fastest things we had. And we needed to reach Immortus before things got worse.

Which they did.

The limousine suddenly screeched to a halt. I quickly looked up to see a car lunatically placing itself in front of the limousine to stop us.

Aggravated, Father stepped out of the car to give the other driver- one of Dr. Jace's scientists- a huge scolding and to remind him of the importance of this. But uneasiness crawled all over me as Father's face turned white at what he had to say.

Once he was done talking with him, Father shakily led himself and the scientist back into the car. "Turn back. Now." The King of Markovia commanded the driver with palpable force in his voice.

The driver hastily nodded, confusion in his mind.

I too had confusion as well as relief ringing through my head. We were turning back? It was nice that apparently we weren't facing General Immortus, but . . . why?

Brion had the same thing going on. "What is it?" he asked Father.

Father drew in a huge breath, readying himself to tell Brion and I- but it seemed like no matter how much we needed to know, Father simply couldn't tell us.

The scientist recovered himself before Father did, clearing his throat. "Sentries have sent me to report to you that the Forever Soldier has left Galebrook and has arrived at the Markov Stronghold."

My blood chose that moment to transform into ice. General Immortus was at the castle. General Immortus was at the castle. General Immortus was at the castle.

I was unwilling to accept that no matter how many times I told myself this.

Somehow, Brion did. Icy fear swam in his soul as well. "H-how?"

The scientist just continued. "Apparently he wasn't stupid. Immortus saw that he only needed a small amount of troops to keep on enforcing the siege at Galebrook. So he rounded up the majority of his army and left Galebrook to lead an attack directly on the castle. Galebrook tried to warn us, but their communications have been cut off. Once they finally got through, it was too late. As of now, Markovian forces are trying to hold off Immortus's army, hopefully drive it back."

He then looked at Brion straight in the eye. "We need you two." Then at me. His eyes were very round, and his throat stiff. "Geo-Force is our only chance."

My breath stopped. The scientist was saying that the fate of Markovia was now hinging on us?

Oh no.

I couldn't drive General Immortus back, I simply couldn't! Maybe Brion had the potential, _maybe_, but I sure didn't!

The drive back to the castle was way too quick. When we all arrived, we were greeted by men with high-tech guns fighting our soldiers, identifiable by the Markov Crest printed on their sleeves.

A few members of Immortus's army (consisting of both robots and humans) spotted and attempted to intercept us. But Brion expertly lifted a bunch of rocks into the air and simply hurled them. The sheer force of the rocks made them crumple like a sack. Brion and I then summoned a bunch of other rocks and dirt to use before we progressed to face General Immortus.

We looked around the purple walls of the palace, unable to find our opponent.

After searching for a while, we found another scientist cornered by two of General Immortus's robots. Brion gritted his teeth as a few rocks came to his side while I stepped back. Brion hurled a rock at each of the robots, earning their attention. They both turned, glaring menacingly at Brion, then slowly advanced.

He held his ground as I hurled myself in front of the scientist. Brion impressively ran up to one and lifted one of the robots over his head, then threw it at the other robot, sending them both crashing into the wall.

Brion then turned to the other scientist and I. "Thank you," the scientist said.

He skipped the formalities and cut right to the chase. "Do you know where General Immortus is, by chance?"

"Actually, I do. He's in the lab, the one where they gave you the powers," she hastily reported reported.

Brion and I nodded. "Right." We turned down the hall to go to the lab.

But before we could, the scientist quickly stopped us. "Wait!"

We turned to face her again.

Her breath was ragged. "Dr. Jace . . . Dr. Jace is working with Immortus."

There was an elastic pause.

Brion and I exchanged glances, our heart rate speeding up. "What?" I asked slowly.

The scientist nodded. "Grafting you powers . . . they were orders from Dr. Jace, but the idea roots to Immortus! She was acting on his orders all this time!"

I couldn't believe this. I had always disliked Dr. Jace, but she had betrayed us . . . she was his subordinate . . .

I felt a rough, callused hand grasp my shoulder, and I looked up to see Brion. His betrayal-haunted eyes suggested pain, but other parts of his body hinted otherwise.

"Tara, come on." He set his jaw, as if reassuring himself. "Now's not the time to sulk. We have to keep moving."

I just nodded.

Together Geo-Force raced to the lab, where General Immortus and Dr. Jace waited . . . our biggest opponents yet. Fear burned in every part of me, wanting desperately to just run away and hide in a rock for the rest of my life.

Before I had a chance to do just that, we arrived to the lab. I sucked in a huge breath, the only thing I could count on, as Brion opened the door.


	6. Chapter 5: Immortus

**A/N: So. Took over a year to update.**

**Okay, maybe I'm not the best at updating, but even for me that's just very sad. I'm really, really sorry for taking this long, guys. This story accidentally got put on the backburner for a while. But hey, now I'm back. :D**

**SladeRavenFan: Yup, more or less, and yes, that's true. But I'm taking a bit of creative liberty with this, so Geo-Force is initially a duo. :)**

**ArtemisHarryAnimorphsfan96: (You know I've been friends with you for a long time and I STILL have to double check whenever typing your name, right? :P) Thank you. :D**

**AzelmaandEponine: Thanks! And last time I posted this I didn't know what your username meant, but now I do. And it's awesome. :D**

**Now that that's done, I'm also gonna quickly say that this is the first time that something in the TT universe is referenced! 8D This chapter's the climax of Part 1, so I hope it's nothing short of awesome.**

**Now, without further adieu. . . **

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><p><span>Chapter 5: Immortus<span>

My eyes widened when I took in the view. The lab was ransacked, shards of glass spread out across the floor. The tubes that Brion and I had received our powers in were both tipped over. More of General Immortus's robots were in the room, around six or seven of them. The traitorous Dr. Helga Jace sat patiently in a little chair, a leg crossed over the other.

Rage bubbled inside me when I saw Dr. Jace. Now I was really glad I gave her that black eye.

And right in the center of the room, using his arm to bark orders at the robots he commanded, was a bald man who physically looked to be in his eighties or nineties. His blue eyes kept inspecting the room sharply; making sure things were getting done. Medals accented his purple uniform—medals that recognized his triumph.

General Immortus.

The Forever Soldier seemed to see us arrive before we saw him.

"Ah, Tara, Brion." He spoke as if we were all old friends. "I was hoping I'd be able to see you two."

Brion clenched his fists. "Leave Markovia, Immortus," he growled, immediately transforming from my fourteen-year-old brother into a crime fighter. "Otherwise we'll boot you out of here ourselves."

General Immortus merely chuckled, his eyes shining. "You do realize I'm the one who gave you your powers? Quite frankly, you should be thanking me, not threatening me."

That right there released gallons of anger inside me. I ground my teeth together, trying to keep my face neutral and my emotions from escaping.

_Thank_ Immortus? I really couldn't think of a worse idea. General Immortus was the one who gave me these uncontrollable powers that were beginning to wreck havoc everywhere I went, and he was telling me that I needed to _thank_ him?

It was really all I could do not to charge straight to Immortus and wrench that shriveling little head off of his neck.

However, Brion's words stopped me from doing that. "Why did you give us powers in the first place? And why us?"

"You see, Dr. Jace contacted me recently, informing me that she had been able to discover how to give someone superpowers," General Immortus said. "So we set up quite a dire political situation—what would happen if I threatened your little country? Markovia would need a new weapon, of course, one that they hoped would take me by surprise, and then Dr. Jace here conveniently happens to have a new breakthrough that would suit their desires. You two wound up being the subjects, and the rest is history."

"That still doesn't answer my question," Brion said. "Why?"

He grinned crookedly. "Since you insist. . . I fully intend on joining the Brotherhood soon, and I figured I may as well do so along with others."

"So you were using us the whole time," he put together. "In the end, we were meant to be nothing more than your stupid villain puppets!"

"Exactly!" said Immortus almost gleefully. "Now, will you come with us willingly, or will we have to take you by force?"

Brion gritted his teeth. "You think we'll allow you to control us? Not a chance."

Immortus shrugged. "Suit yourself. In the meantime," he turned to his little army, "seize the children."

On command the robots turned toward us, then began to advance as General Immortus stepped back.

Brion made the first move. One of his rocks flew towards one of the robots, landing on its head, shortly followed by Brion himself, the impact taking heavy effect.

I began hurtling rocks at the robots as well, remaining exactly where I was. Most of the time I missed. My arms were shaking as I found myself taking a few steps back. I was actually in a fight. A life-threatening fight.

I looked to Brion, who had just slammed a robot into a needle-lined table. I had to find a way to help him.

General Immortus looked to me. "Get her."

Instantly red, electronic robot eyes swiveled towards me. Oh no.

I began to back away from Immortus's army in fear until I had hit a wall. I threw what rocks I could at them, but it did nothing to stop them from forming a barricade around me. There was no getting around it—I was trapped.

Brion's head turned around to see how I was doing as he slammed a robot into the ceiling with a large rock. He gasped and immediately began to run toward me. The robot subsequently fell to the floor, the last few sparks of remaining electricity quickly dying.

"Tara!" Brion called. He rammed headfirst into one of the robots and hurtled a rock at it to finish the job. Another robot fired a red laser; he quickly dodged it and, as an effect, it seared into the metal walls instead.

More of the robots decided to take action by aiming more lasers at Brion, who simply kept dodging them and counterattacking. Finally he jumped to avoid a laser, and then landed in front of me, using his body to shield me. A laser came at him the second he landed, and he quickly brought an arm up and deflected it with a rock.

Brion began seething as the robots began to close in. He straightened as he summoned more rocks and began pillaging them into the breastplates of Immortus's army, left to right, one by one, as if in a sequence.

"Don't you," he gritted his teeth as part of the robots were taken down, "dare touch," most of them were gone by now, impossible to reassemble, "my sister!" Brion finished by almost dramatically pushing the rock into a final robot.

With all of the robots defeated, the room fell into an eerie silence.

Finally it was broken as Immortus clapped his wrinkled hands once, followed by Dr. Jace doing the same.

Dr. Jace finally stood up. "Well done, Brion Markov," she said. "You're even better than I thought—you especially will prove to be an excellent general for our army."

Rage began to swell in Brion even more. "We already told you—we're not going with you!" He then recreated a proper, almost princely stature from his deep-breathing, hunched form. "Now, again, leave Markovia, and never come back. Or else—well, you've seen what we're capable of doing."

A grin peeped from a corner of Immortus's mouth. "Of course, Brion Markov. That's what we've been intending all along! But we can't leave without our little prizes. And, here's the thing—if you don't come, in return, a little 'accident' could very well be arranged to happen to your father. And don't get me wrong, I know that Markovians love him as much as you do."

General Immortus tapped a wiry finger on his chin. "Now that would be considerably tragic, wouldn't you agree? King Viktor of Markovia, dead so suddenly . . . are you sure you want that to happen?"

Brion emitted a deep yell as he suddenly charged straight at Immortus and punched him cleanly in the chest. He was sent flying.

However, Immortus was quick to recover. He landed on his feet like a cat with nine lives. Brion moved to again, but Dr. Jace was quick to stop him.

"I don't suggest any more antics, Prince Brion," Dr. Jace warned. "He wasn't lying about our ability to kill your father. We have good contacts in good positions. We can do it. And we can do it now."

That took Brion aback. His face became as pale as ice. For a few seconds, he remained utterly motionless, frozen into place.

Then he lowered his eyes. He looked ready to resign.

But I wasn't.

I stepped forward for the first time. I erected my face stone-hard. "Brion's right," I said with as much authority as I could muster.

Immortus and Dr. Jace seemed to notice me for the first time. A thin smile spread on Immortus's face as he slowly took my words in. He sneered. "Well well, she speaks. Brion is right about what, might I ask?"

I clenched my fists, barely noticing that a bright yellow was starting to ring around them. "He's right. . . I don't think you've seen what we're capable of doing. I don't think you realize how much power you gave us, and what we can use against you! Quit underestimating us!"

The yellow aura around my fists growing thicker and glowing brighter. I barely registered Brion's voice climbing to a cautious height. "Um, Tara, I don't—"

But I tossed his voice aside and stared straight into Immortus's eyes.

"You haven't seen anything yet!"

With that, I clamped my eyes shut. When I reopened them, I found that all of my surroundings were bathed in the same yellow that had surrounded my hands. I could hear something waving in the ear, flapping like a flag waving in the air. I felt a slight tug on my scalp and realized that the thing flying in the air was my hair.

I adjusted within a matter of milliseconds. The faces of Dr. Jace and General Immortus looked to be the very definition of shock. I relished their surprise.

But it was time to get back down to business. My mind cut away the mental metal floor, reaching down to somewhere deep in the earth's crust. As a result, pillars of earth broke through the metal floor and surged up into the air.

The whole lab seemed to shake once the pillars hit the metal ceiling. I tweaked the pillars again, and in turn, fractions of the pillars broke off and flew like discs being fired from a weapon. They aimed themselves at General Immortus and Dr. Jace.

Jace's eyes grew, the other bruised one twitching. But she wasn't the only one amazed. Brion was too—in fact, he seemed somewhat horrified, scared.

But why should he be?

I turned my attention back to my two opponents. I reached back down into the earth's field of energy. Boulder surfaced out of the ground, like back in the training area on the very first day.

I aimed the first boulder at Immortus and Dr. Jace. I quickly drew my arm back, and then pushed. The yellow bounder was subsequently launched at the duo. They scrambled for their lives, the boulder missing them just by a few feet.

This routine repeated until I ran out of boulders, and Dr. Jace and General Immortus were still in one piece. A flare of anger burst from my stomach. They needed to pay—to pay for threatening to kill my father, for attempting to capture Brion and me, for grafting these stupid geokinesis abilities into us to begin with!

They needed justice. And it looked like I wouldn't be able to give it to them by hopelessly chucking boulders at them. I needed something they couldn't avoid . . . something big.

I mentally reached down once more, trying to ignore the searing pain in my head as I attempted my grandest move yet.

I grabbed the strings of energy—then I threw them as hard as I could, sending waves surging through the earth's interior.

As a result, I opened my eyes, the world still dyed in yellow. The ground felt as if it were a rocking boat in the ocean yet again, but this time the feeling was much more powerful. The ground slipped and slid beneath my feet, and the rock pillars were crumbling slowly, embracing the floor upon landing. Scientific equipment thrashed, eventually giving in and dropping. I could hear the roaring of the earth, the sound of glass exploding, and the shrill screams of those outside the room.

I was nearly laughing when I saw the expression on their faces. What was the matter, guys? Didn't think I was strong enough to create an earthquake? Who's the one to be feared _now_?

They seemed to make a decision simultaneously. Genreal Immortus turned his aged head toward Dr. Jace. "Run!"

Dr. Jace hastily nodded. Immortus began to run towards the door.

I narrowed my eyes. That devil duo wasn't gonna get away easily. Not on my watch.

I cut some of the rock away from the multiple summoned columns. But because I had taken too long, I saw the Forever Soldier vanish once he exited. I almost cursed in defeat.

But Dr. Jace wasn't out the door.

I smiled almost wickedly. It was Dr. Jace I was angrier at, after all. True, General Immortus may have been the one to come up with the idea of giving Brion and I geokinesis, but it was filthy Dr. Jace who carried it out. It was Dr. Jace who had betrayed us. It was Dr. Jace who had acted as if I had some sort of contagious curse laid on me.

My surroundings burned a brighter-than-ever yellow as I allowed all the columns to crumble right in front of Dr. Jace. She lunged to get out, reaching out her arm in panic-but drew it back just in time to avoid it getting crushed by a bunch of rocks.

Yes. Now she would face justice.

Brion and I—we had actually done it. We had fought off a bunch of Immortus's robots, duo-handedly drove off one of the biggest threats known to mankind and in the process captured one of his most trusted accomplices.

Oh yes, victory was sweet.

A yell of pain suddenly began to register, cutting off my blazing triumph. My ears strained to place it, and then my eyes grew as I realized just who it was.

It had come from none other than Brion, on the ground, who was clutching his bloodied head as though if it were a lifeline. My breath hitched as I watched him fall down and remain motionless. I immediately whirled on Dr. Jace, more than ready to pommel her in the face for hurting him.

Then I realized . . . he hadn't been hurt before he confronted Immortus personally, then after that neither Dr. Jace nor General Immortus had made a move towards Brion.

The only one who had done any attacking. . .

Was me.

Instantly the world was drained of yellow, and my hair stopped flailing about as I realized what I had done. I rushed over to his side. Tears threatened to crawl down as I called Brion's name. I repeated it, again and again and again as I shook him, desperate to awaken him, to know that he wasn't dead, barely recognizing that Markovian troops had broken through the barrier of rock. All that mattered was Brion. He was severely injured at the very least, and it was entirely my fault. I was so obsessed with Immortus and Dr. Jace that I hadn't noticed him. . .

And because I couldn't control my powers.

This was exactly what I'd been fearing from the very start.

I remained still, paralyzed from the very sight. My breathing became shallow and the world around me began to spin. My eyes drifted down, slowly, slowly, and I let my muscles sag and my body fall to the floor.

The last thing I saw was a medic closely examining Brion before a world of blackness eclipsed all light.


	7. Chapter 6: Aftermath

**A/N: Yeah . . . it's been a while. Sorry about that.**

**Lots of crazy stuff have been happening, with high school and everything. But now I'm finally getting around to this, and this is becoming a priority now that other stories of mine have been completed. If everything turns out well, then there should be a new chapter around a biweekly basis. Again, my apologies for abandoning this for a while, and I'm going to do my best to ensure that chapters will come out soon after another. **

**Shoutout to SladeRavenFan for reviewing!**

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><p><span>Chapter 6: Aftermath<span>

The next time I woke, I found myself lying down on my bed. A tender hand was placed on my wrist, watching over me, caring for me.

Wait . . . Mom?

I hopefully looked over to the source of the touch, the smooth, reassuring touch. . .

My spirits drowned in the familiar black depression I've become so used to. It wasn't the hand I'd been longing to see. It was a slender, washed, and coffee-colored hand.

Sophia. Of course - she was my maid. It was only common sense for her to watch over me.

After I glared at her for a few moments, Sophia cautiously smiled. "Your highness. I'm glad to see you're awake."

I had no time for this. Immediately the question that had been dancing in my hand burst from my mouth. "Where's Brion?"

Sophia regarded me in what was supposed to be a reassuring way. "Don't worry. He's going to be just fine."

"Where's Brion?" I pressed again.

Annoyance found its way into her voice. "Princess Tara, your brother is going to be-"

"You aren't answering my question."

Sophia pursed her lips. "The infirmary. But-"

It was too ate for her to say anything more. I had already thrown the purple covers aside and bolted straight to my destination, barely even pausing to yank the door open. Tapestries, coats of arms and Markovian flags fell behind me as my eyes narrowed into slits of concentration.

How was Brion, really? What were his feelings toward me now? I had to personally see him in order to be reassured of anything.

Finally, I reached the infirmary, slamming the door aside and sparrowing my way through various medics and doctors and nurses. A lot of people gasped in sudden shock and leaped away at the last second to dodge me.

Soon enough, I was able to find the two rows of white beds, parallel to each other and resting against the walls. And on one of them was none other than Brion, with doctors flocking around him.

I asked people to step aside as I made my way through them. Then I was able to see my brother.

My heart sank at the sight. He was dressed in a hospital gown, a needle buried into his left arm. Wrapped around his right arm was a cast resting in a sling. Eyelids hid his bright blue eyes, and a monitor nearby showed me his heart rate.

I swerved to face a doctor sporting a name tag that read 'Dr. Marshall'. "What happened? I asked. I desperately tried to project strong force into my voice, but it was unsuccessful when it emerged with a quivering tremble.

Dr. Marshall pushed thin, round glasses back onto the bridge of his nose. "I don't know the full account, Princess, but I do know that you didn't appear to have been harmed. But as far as Brion . . . his right arm snapped in two, and he suffered quite the concussion."

So it was just as I thought. Brion was heavily injured . . . and I'm the one who injured him. I was the one who caused this.

I took a deep breath. "How long has he been out like this?"

"Same as you, Your Highness," Dr. Marshall answered simply. "A little over twenty-four hours."

My breath hitched. A full day? I was out for a full day? And Brion would be taking an even longer amount of time.

All because of me.

I shook my head like that could somehow get the topic out of my head. Perhaps it would help to focus on a different subject. "What about General Immortus and Dr. Jace?"

"Ah, yes, those two," Dr. Marshall said. "We discovered Dr. Helga Jace's loyalty to General Immortus, and the Markovian Army was able to take custody of her. General Immortus, however-he summoned most of his troops and retreated during the earthquake. It was unfortunate that we couldn't capture him, but to our luck, he did withdraw the forces that placed Galebrook under siege. It's a big thanks to Geo-Force that General Immortus has left Markovia alone."

I clenched my teeth.

"Yes," I said quietly. "Yes, it is thanks to Geo-Force that he's gone. But . . ." it's also thanks to Geo-Force that Brion is in this bed, injured!"

As if on cue, the world became a bright gold, and I felt that same tug on my hair, just like they did in my showdown with Immortus and Dr. Jace.

My knees sank to the ground, and I drowned in horror as I gripped my head. "No no no, this can't be happening, this can't be happening!"

Dr. Marshall and the other doctors backed away as I accidentally reached down and tugged at the earth's energy. As a result, the entire earth swayed and danced as I reached down again. I tried not to focus on the shrieks of fright, the objects that shivered before falling down to the ground and shattering, all the commotion I caused. I was more than relieved when I put the energy back into its place. Immediately the swaying ceased, and the world lost its golden hue.

Silence.

Heads swiveled to me as I stood up. "I . . . I'm . . ."

I clamped my eyes shut.

Finally I pushed through the crowd and sprinted away, attempting to flee from . . . from . . . I wasn't too sure. Perhaps it was to run away from myself.

But of course, there's really no way to do that.

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><p>Two sentries dressed in purple stood guard in front of a large, black, iron-bounded set of double doors. I strode to them with as much dignity as I could muster.<p>

I lifted my chin. "I am here to see Dr. Helga Jace."

One of the sentries shook his gold-helmeted head. "Sorry, Your Highness, but we were given specific orders from King Viktor to not let anyone in at the time being."

"And I'm Princess Tara." I crossed my arms in front of my chest. "Now. Unless you want to experience a rattling earthquake, let me in to see her."

The sentries exchanged nervous looks as I added, "Sometime today would be nice."

They parted, each gripping a handle of a separate door. Slowly the doors broke apart to become a gateway as I dropped my hands. I strode in, acknowledging both of the sentries with a nod.

The castle dungeons were, in short, dreary. A steep staircase led down into the stone floor. Almost all of the cells were empty, but every now and then I could make out one of Immortus's soldiers sitting solemnly behind the array of rusted black iron bars.

After a few minutes of walking, I found Dr. Jace. She was sitting patiently in a chair, legs crossed. She seemed calm-amused, even.

Dr. Jace regarded me. "Ah. Hello, Tara." The edges of her thin lips suggested a perfectly polite smile.

I wasn't in the mood. My face was already set to be stone-hard and unbreakable. Blue eyes bored into the dark ones as the next words, the ones I had practiced to myself over and over while coming here, came.

"Change me back."

Dr. Jace tilted her head ever-so-slightly. "Sorry?"

I gritted my teeth. "I want," I began, "these powers," I stretched out every word, as though she were an idiot, "out of my body."

Dr. Jace just shook her head. "Sorry Tara, but I do need to remind you that these powers are permanent."

"I don't care! Change me back, get the geokinesis out."

"Again. Tara, this is permanent."

"You were able to get the powers in, you should be able to take them back out! Now do it!"'

She began to look quite annoyed. "Look-you must understand that I know of no way to undo this," she explained. "The geokinesis has become a part of you, Tara. Trying to remove them is the equivalent of chopping off one of your arms."

I took a deep breath, stopping myself from yelling at her again.

I gripped the bars of the cell tightly, as if I were the one inside. I narrowed my eyes dangerously, leaning in so closely that I was almost pressing my face into the spaces between the bars.

"Dr. Jace," I said quietly, "if you can get these powers out, then by my crown I swear that I'll find a way for you to be released."

Dr. Jace was silent for a long moment.

In the end, she sighed. "I wish I could. But they're permanent."

Slowly, my fingers unraveled from the bars. I lowered my eyes, unwilling to look at Dr. Jace. Lost more than ever in defeat, I left the scientist without another word.

Why did I ever agree to check out the 'harmless' science experiement with Brion? Why had I subjected myself to this whirlwind of pain, to let them tell me who to be?

Now look at what I've become.

I exited the dungeon, forcing myself to keep myself to keep my head up, and I forced down tears as I passed the sentries. Dr. Jace, Father, Brion . . . they'd all believed that I'd turn out to be a superhero once I obtained powers. But hurting someone you loved wasn't something a superhero would do.

It's something a villain would do.

The thought stopped me right in my tracks.

I can't be around them anymore, I realized. For as long as I don't have control of my powers, for as long as I hold the potential to hurt them . . . I couldn't be around them.

My chest hardens with an impenetrable resolve.

I know what I have to do.

I have to run away.


End file.
